Just A Word
by JoyfulHeartEO
Summary: Rose notices the scar on her Mothers arm and wonders what the word means. What will Hermione say when Rose asks her about the word Mudblood? What will Ron do? Will it change the way Rose feels about her mother? Read and find out! Then Review


**Just something I came up with when watching Deathly Hallows part 1 again. It's about what will happen when Hermione and Ron's children notice the mark left on Hermione's arm by Bellatrix Lestrange. What will they think? What will she tell them? Hope you like it :) Let me know! **

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><p>Hermione sat on the couch folding laundry as her two children played on the floor in front of her. She smiled as the six year old Rosie and four year old Hugo laughed and played with the little toy animals that Ron had bewitched for them so they could move. Ron was at work and Hermione had the day off, and she was enjoying spending the time with her two little children.<p>

It was a rather warm day and her long sleeve shirt was becoming heavy on her so she rolled the sleeves of her shirt up without a care. Little Rose looked up from where she was playing and stared at her mother with a confused sort of expression.

When Hermione caught her eye she smiled. "What's on your mind Rose?"

Slowly rose stood up and walked to her Mother and put a gentle hand on her arm. "Mummy…what's that mark on your arm?"

At first Hermione was confused but when her eyes looked to where Rose's hands were touching she understood, and her heart sank. "Oh…that…"

"Is it a word Mummy?" The young girl cocked her head to the side trying to sound it out as her Mother had taught her. "Mu-mud-bl-mudblood?"

Hearing the word on her daughters lips sent shivers down her spine and her eyes begin to prickle with tears. Ever since Bellatrix had etched the word onto her arm with a knife she had tried as hard as she could to forget it was there. At first she had been very self conscious but over the years it seemed less and less important. But she had never thought about how she someday would have to explain it to her children…not only what the word meant but how she had been scarred like that.

"Mummy?" Rose asked again snapping Hermione out of her daze.

She looked down at her daughter and tried to smile. "Oh it's nothing sweet heart…why don't you go back and play with your brother?"

Rose stared at her mother for another moment and then decided not to ask about it again. She walked back to her brother and only looked up at her mother once she sat down, feeling as though she had said something bad. For the rest of the day, Hermione kept busy.

She kept an eye on the children of course but never stopped long enough for Rose to ask more questions. That night when Ron came home she was in the kitchen preparing dinner and didn't hear him come in.

He often used the floo network and appeared in the fireplace which was in the living room where the children were playing still. "Daddy!" Hugo said running to his father.

"Hello my boy." Ron said lifting him up and kissing his cheek. "Have a good day? Didn't give your Mum any trouble did you?"

Hugo shook his head. "No Daddy. Not at all!"

Ron chuckled and placed his son on the ground. "Well good." He turned to Rose. "And how's my little Rosie?"

Rose smiled shyly at her father. "Hi Daddy."

Ron stared at her for a moment. "Hi Daddy? Where's my hug from my favorite little girl?"

Rose walked over to him and hugged him slowly, usually she practically knocked him over when he got home. "Sorry."

Ron hugged her tightly sensing something was bothering his little girl and it broke his heart. "What's going on darling?"

Rose pulled away from her father and smiled. "Nothing Daddy."

For such a young girl she was very mature for her age, much like Hermione had been when they were younger. Even though she looked like Ron with the flaming red hair and the freckles covering her face she was a lot like her mother. She was not only smart but she was caring and responsible. But like her mother she also often kept her feelings bottled up inside and made him force her to tell him what was wrong. It was a trait that bothered him since he wanted nothing more than to make his wife and children's problems disappear as soon as he could.

Ron knew better than to push her right away so he just smiled and ruffled her hair. "Where's your Mummy?"

"In the kitchen." Hugo said returning to his toys again.

Ron smiled and pinched Rose's cheek before walking into the kitchen to greet his wife and ask her what was going on with Rose. Her back was too him and she seemed to be concentrating very hard as she didn't even hear him walk in the room. He walked up behind her and placed both hands on her hips and kissed her neck gently making her jump.

"Merlin's beard!" Hermione said jumping and pushing him away. "Ron!"

He smiled at her for a moment but then noticed she seemed truly scared. "Sorry 'Mione…I didn't mean to scare you."

She licked her lips and looked at the floor feeling stupid for being so jumpy. "No…no Ron I'm sorry. I just…I wasn't…paying attention."

He leaned forward and lifted her chin with his fingers. "Hey…what is it?"

She looked up into his eyes and tried to swallow the lump growing in her throat. "Nothing Ron."

He pulled her closer to him as he cupped her face. "You forget that I know you better than anyone in the world…something's bothering you. Something's bothering Rosie too…she didn't seem too excited to see me. And neither do you…" He said frowning.

Hermione stared deep into her husbands eyes, she wanted to tell him but something stopped her. She couldn't tell what it was…normally she could tell him anything. But she was feeling self conscious and very emotional and she didn't want to get into it with him. So she wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tightly.

"Oh Ron…I am excited to see you. I guess I'm just tired…the kids were really rambunctious today." She lied, it was easier when she wasn't looking him in the eye. "I was just thinking is all…I'm sorry."

He held her tighter sighing to himself, like mother like daughter he knew she wasn't ready to talk about it so he just kissed the side of her face. "It's alright love…"

Hermione nuzzled her neck. "Before dinner is ready do you think you could have a look at the shower upstairs? It's leaking again and I haven't had a chance to fix it yet. Should be easy enough."

He nodded. "Of course. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Ron smiled slowly as he walked away and Hermione tried to smile back before turning back to dinner. He sighed and went upstairs trying to figure out if he had missed anything this morning before he went to work. He had only seen Hermione for a brief moment before he left for work but she seemed perfectly fine and so did the children.

Sighing he took out his wand and began to fix the shower hoping that soon he would figure out what was going on with his family. When he was done he went downstairs to play with Rose and Hugo until dinner was ready. Rose seemed a little better once he started playing with him which lifted his spirits slightly.

But when Hermione called them in for dinner he began to worry again. Usually Hermione was very talkative at dinner asking how everyone's day was and correcting the children (and Ron) on their manners. But tonight she pushed around the food on her plate and didn't say a word as Ron tried to keep his children occupied.

"Daddy can we go to Uncle Harry's and Aunt Ginny's this weekend to play?" Little Hugo asked.

Ron looked at his son. "I think we could do that." He looked over at his wife. "What do you think Hermione? Do we have any other plans?" She was still pushing her food around and didn't seem to hear him. "Hermione?"

This time she heard him and looked up quickly. "Hm?"

He stared at her for a moment. "Do we have any plans this weekend? Hugo wants to go visit Harry and Ginny and the kids."

Hermione looked from her husband to her son then shook her head. "Oh no…no plans. That should be fine…just fine." She said before returning to playing with her food.

Hugo smiled and so did Rose but Ron continued to stare at his wife. He knew better than to bring anything up in front of their children though so he tried his best to keep the kids eating. But every now and then his eyes would wander to his wife who seemed very lost at the moment.

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><p>After dinner…Hermione did the dishes and Ron gave the kids their baths before tucking them into bed. He put Hugo down first before going into Rose's room, she was lying down looking at a book but she smiled when she saw her father walk in the room.<p>

"Hi Daddy." She said shutting the book.

"What are you reading tonight sweetheart?" Ron asked as he sat down beside her.

"Cinderalla. It's one of the ones Grandma Granger gave me." She said smiling.

Ron smiled. "Ahhh yes your Mommy showed me this story a long time ago. Way before you were born."

"Mommy's parents aren't magical like Grandma and Grandpa Weasley right?" Rosie asked cocking her head to the side.

Ron nodded. "Yes. That's right. They are muggles."

Rose nodded. "So then how is Mummy a witch?"

Ron thought for a moment. "Well…sometimes even people who come from the muggle world can be witches or wizards. No one really knows how it works but it just happens. And that's what happened with Mummy."

Rose thought for a moment. "Daddy…what's a mudblood?"

Ron felt his heart sink to his stomach and he felt angry, although he knew he couldn't be bad at her. She was just a kid and didn't understand this type of thing, all the same the word was a very bad and hurtful word that he hated. It brought back to many bad memories for him…especially of Bellatrix Lestrange torturing Hermione.

"Rosie where did you hear that word?" He asked trying to keep his voice calm and even.

Rose could tell even though Ron wasn't yelling that she had said something bad. "Well…I didn't hear it…I saw it."

Ron waited a moment before asking her more questions. "Saw it? Where?"

Rose picked up her favorite teddy bear and held it close to her chest afraid to meet her fathers eyes. "On Mummys arm…"

Ron's heart sunk even further and now he understood what the problem was. "Oh Rosie…"

Suddenly she had tears in her eyes. "I didn't know what it was Daddy! Did I do something bad? Did I hurt Mummy? She wouldn't tell me what it was…"

Ron scooped Hermione up into his arms and held her tightly against his chest. "It's alright Rosie…you didn't do anything wrong." He kissed the top of her head.

Rosie sniffled against him. "What does it mean Daddy?"

Ron sighed and pushed her back just so she could see his face. "Rosie…a long time ago before you were born people didn't like the fact that people from the muggle world were like us…witches and wizards. So someone made up a name…to identify people who weren't from wizarding families."

"Mudblood…" Rose said again.

Ron cringed. "Yes…mudblood. You see…it means dirty blood. Some people were very angry about non magical families knowing about us. They felt that only pure blood wizard families should be allowed here. But Rosie I want you to understand that it doesn't matter where someone comes from…it's the type of witch or wizard they are that matters. If they are kind and good…that's all that matters."

"Someone called Mummy a mudblood?" Rosie asked.

Ron swallowed hard. "A lot of people did…a lot of very mean people."

Rose frowned. "I don't like that they hurt Mummy…"

Ron nodded. "I know…me either honey."

Rose thought for a moment. "But I still don't understand how the word got on her arm…"

The image of Bellatrix lying on top of Hermione and carving into her arm flashed into Ron's mind and he wanted to throw up. Sighing he rubbed Rose's back trying to find the right words.

"Well Rosie…I think that's a story you need to wait until you're a little older to hear. It's all very complicated…and a little scary. And I think it's Mummy's story to tell…but only when she is ready. Do you understand?" He asked hoping she would.

Rose stared at her father and even though she wanted to ask more questions she could tell whatever it was she needed to wait as her father requested. She smiled and leaned up to hug her father feeling better now that she was beginning to understand. She tried to remind herself that tomorrow morning she should give her Mum a big hug and tell her just how much she loved her.

"I understand Daddy." She said.

Ron smiled and hugged her close. "I knew you would sweetheart." He kissed the side of her face and lifted her up making her giggle before gently placing her down on the bed again. "But now my darling…it's time for you to go to bed."

Rosie smiled at her Dad. "Do I have too?"

Ron chuckled. "Yes Rosie…you need your rest. You know that."

She rolled her eyes playfully as he often did making him smile even harder. "Okay…"

Ron laughed again and kissed the top of her head. "I love you to the moon and back my Rosie Posie."

Rose smiled and kissed her Dad's nose as she always did. "I love you too Daddy."

"See you in the morning." He said walking to the door.

"Goodnight Daddy." Rose said as Ron turned out the lights with his wand.

He shut the door behind him and then walked back downstairs to where Hermione was cleaning up the children's toys. She still had a frown on her face and she looked like she was trying not to cry. It killed him…but at least now he knew what the problem actually was.

"The kids are asleep." He said putting his hands in his pockets and leaning against the wall.

She looked at him quickly and stuffed toys into the toy chest in the corner of the room. "That's good…"

He stared at her picking up each toy for a moment. "You know it would be a lot quicker if you just used your wand…" He said pointing his wand at the toys and sending them all to the toy chest.

Hermione watched them fly past her, the room was now clean and she had nothing to distract her from her thoughts. Instead she was alone with her husband and she knew he was going to start asking questions again. Questions she didn't feel like answering…

"We should send an owl to Ginny and Harry to ask about this weekend. I don't want to just show up without notice." She said softly.

Ron nodded slowly. "I can do that."

Hermione licked her lips and nodded. "Good…good…" She paused for a moment trying to think of something to say. "How…how was work?"

Ron stared at her for a moment before walking closer to her. "Work was fine."

She nodded. "That's good…"

"Mione…" He whispered softly as he walked even closer.

She met his eyes quickly before looking down again. "Yes?"

"I talked to Rosie before I put her to bed." Ron said softly.

Her heart began to beat faster. "About?"

"She asked me what…" He paused, he hated saying the word but he knew he had too. "She asked me what the word mudblood meant…"

Ron never said the word so hearing him say it made her cringe slightly. "She…she did?"

"What happened Hermione?" Ron asked rubbing her shoulders gently.

Hermione shook her head. "Nothing…she just saw my arm. That's all…it's fine. I'm fine."

He laughed sadly. "Like hell you are…"

His words made her think about Malfoy Manor again when eh came to save her and she tried to smile softly. "I guess…I just haven't thought about it in a long time. The scar…it's there. It will never go away…I know that. I thought I was okay with it…but I guess I never thought about how I would have to tell my children about it someday."

Ron cupped her face in his hands. "It's just a word 'Mione…a terrible word. But just a word…it means nothing to me and it should mean nothing to you. It doesn't define who you are…it never has and it never will."

Hermione swallowed and brushed a tear away. "I know that…but still…I hate that it's there. I hate that she did that to me…"

Ron leaned forward and kissed her forehead gently. "I do too…you have no idea how much I wish I could have saved you from her before anything bad happened. Hearing you scream while I was stuck in the basement…it was the most painful thing I've ever experienced."

She wrapped her arms around her husbands waist and held him closer. "It wasn't your fault Ron."

Ron sighed and held her closer. "Wasn't it? If I had never left you and Harry in the forest…things would have been different."

Hermione shook her head and pulled away. "Ron we were bound to get caught at some point. It wasn't your fault."

Ron stared at her for a moment and then lifted her arm and pushed up her sleeve feeling her stiffen at his touch. "She can never hurt you again…she's dead. But if I have it my way no one will ever hurt you again…no one."

Hermione smiled at him. "I love you so much."

Ron leaned forward and kissed her gently too. "I love you too 'Mione."

She closed her eyes for a moment basking in the feel of his lips against hers before looking at him again. "What did you tell Rose?"

Ron stared at her for a moment. "I told her what the word meant…and that it wasn't a nice word. I didn't tell her about how you got the scar…I told her it was something you had to tell her when she was older and when you were ready."

Hermione frowned. "Can't you tell her?"

Ron chuckled. "I could…but I think it would be better coming from you."

She nodded slowly. "I suppose you're right."

"I suppose we're going to have to tell them everything someday...about the war and all." Ron said. "We all will…Harry especially."

Hermione frowned. "It's just hard…they are so innocent and they don't know anything about all the evil in the world. I guess I just want to keep them away from all that as long as possible…"

Ron nodded. "I know how you feel. But we have to tell them eventually…I mean look at us. We were exposed to it all at quite a young age and we turned out alright. And besides…I have a feeling they are going to hear about it all when they go to Hogwarts. And I don't know about you but I would rather them hear about it from me than from a professor, a book or another student."

Hermione nodded. "You're right…"

He smirked. "Come again? I don't get to hear that from you often…"

She laughed and nudged him playfully. "I said you're right Ron…don't get used to it."

He laughed and hugged her again. "There's that smile I love."

"Ron?" Hermione asked softly.

He breathed her in. "Yes?"

"It…it never bothered you that I was muggle born?" She asked nervously.

Ron opened his eyes and pushed her back just slightly. "Of course not."

She shrugged. "I just wondered…I know my parents can be…" She laughed. "Strange..."

"So can mine…" He said laughing.

She smiled. "But you're sure it never bothered you?"

Ron sighed. "Mione do you not understand how much I bloody love you?"

She swallowed hard. "Ron I-"

"Hermione I don't love you because you are a witch. I love you because you're beautiful, smart, charming, funny and courageous. I love you because you drive me insane sometimes and that you aren't afraid to speak your mind. I love you because you would do anything for the people you love and you always do the right thing. And mostly I love you because you love me back…you see me for who I really am and you still love me." He said smiling at her.

"Well of course I love you silly." She said smiling with watery eyes.

He smiled. "Hermione I would love you even if you didn't have an ounce of magic in you…you're my 'Mione." He shrugged. "I don't care where you came from as long as your future has me in it."

Hermione let the tears fall freely now as she leaned forward and embraced her husband tightly. "You are the most wonderful man in the whole world Ronald Weasley. You truly are…"

He smiled and kissed the top of her head. "I do my best…"

"I'm sorry I didn't' tell you what was bothering me earlier." Hermione said. "I just…hate thinking about it all."

Ron nodded against her. "I know…I do too."

She pulled away again and smiled shyly. "But I suppose I shouldn't be afraid of it…or angry about it. That experience…what you me and Harry went through…" She shrugged. "It brought us closer as friends…made us who we are today and…" She paused and smiled at her husband. "And it made you and I stop being so damn stubborn and finally admit our feelings for one another."

Ron chuckled at the last part. "Very true."

She stood on her tip toes and kissed him gently. "Ron?"

He kissed her back. "Yes my love?"

"Take me to bed?" She said nuzzling his nose. "I want nothing more than to be in your arms right now."

Ron smiled and picked her up and wrapped her legs around his waist. "Hermione…I think you read my mind."

She smiled as he held her tightly, he knew he wouldn't drop her. "I love you Ronald Bilius Weasley…more than anything in this world. Thank you…for everything."

He smiled and kissed her gently. "I love you too Hermione Granger Weasley…I will always love you."

As Ron carried his wife to bed that night and they made love in the moonlight, he traced the scar on her arm with his lips. He knew she was self conscious about it but too him it was just a scar…nothing more. The word meant nothing to him because she was the love of his life…she was everything. And if it took him forever to get her to realize it didn't matter where she came from he would wait patiently for her to understand.

But for now…he would just show her how much he loved her. Every single part of her…scars and all.

As for Hermione, let her husband make love to her that night and felt her fears and anxieties slip away. She knew that someday she would have to talk to Rose and Hugo about the word on her arm but now she felt more confident about it. She knew that her children would love her no matter what, just like her husband and for that she was extremely grateful.

As she drifted off to sleep that night, she felt at peace as she felt Ron's strong arms around her. She knew that as long as she had him, she would always be safe from anyone and anything, even a stupid word. Muggle born or not…there was no doubt that she was a witch and there was no doubt that she was loved. And she always would be…

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><p><strong>So what did you think? Just a quick one shot...hope you liked it :) Review if you can! <strong>


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